Biting bunny

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 8sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 9 months ago by BunnyBuns7.

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- 02/03/2009 at 9:41 AM
  luna
  Participant
  147 posts
  Im wondering if anyone can advise me on how to get my bunny Poppy to quit biting me and my boyfriend. She is not vicious or anything….i really dont believe she realizes the pain it causes. She has always been a chewer and digger and when we are walking around or even just sitting watching tv we cannot relax as we are constantly checking to see if Poppy our “jack russell” bunny is around.
  
  She bites our clothes really hard…latches on and pulls. It really hurts when she does this to my feet and even though i scream and pull away when she does this she doesnt back off. she bites the legs of Dannys jeans and pulls too. He has had to throw out one pair as she put about 5holes in them. When she comes up on the couch she licks the arms of my dressing gown and without warning will start biting and burrowing in them. I would love to be able to relax when she is around but its getting harder and harder and now i find myself being really jumpy as a result. Henry was like this when we first got him but learnt very quickly that it was unacceptable behaviour.
  
  Does anyone else have a bunny like this? Other that this she is a very sweet bunny and very submissive so i really cant fault her. Iv already tackled her bad litter habits and bonded her with Henry so if i could sort out the biting i would have the perfect bun buns
- 02/03/2009 at 9:50 AM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  The best way I know, if it’s not viscious is to go “Owwww’ really loud when they do that (try to sound wounded). Bunny nibbles can hurt but bunny-to-bunny they are loving, so you just need to convey that you don’t want to be nibbled.
  
  Does she have lots of stuff to play with? I bet she’d love an old towel and/or a phone book to digg and shred! If she has appropriate toys to do that to, she’ll be less likely to do it to you!
- 02/03/2009 at 10:04 AM
  luna
  Participant
  147 posts
  Yeah she has lots of toys….she has toilet rolls, newspaper to shred, jingle balls, a rug which she digs too, teddy bears which are tossed all over the place and she digs in both the litter boxes aswell! We both shout out in pain every time she bites us so thats why i dont get it.
  
  Iv a feeling that maybe in a backward way i trained her to do it as months back she would come up to me when i was kneeling on the ground and she would bite my knee. As soon as she would do this i would say no and push her head to the ground and then pet her. I probably should have not petted her… and i have a feeling this may have re inforced her bad behaviour. She may have learnt to think that a bite=attention=stroking! do you think this could have caused it?
- 02/03/2009 at 4:39 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  It is possible that it could have been a learned behavior. Does she only bite when she comes over – does it seem like she’s trying to tell you to move out of her way, or is it more like she’s asking for attention? Does she bite at any other time?
  
  One thing you could try is when she bites, squeel in a high pitched tone, and turn your back to her. People around you are going to think you’re nuts, but actually, rabbits will turn their back when they are not happy with a behavior. If she still bites, then you will need to put her back into her cage for a timeout. Then when she comes over to you but does NOT bite, then pet her. Let her know she can get attention only by not biting.
  
  This may take a few weeks.
  
  Let us know if that or something else works for you.
- 02/03/2009 at 7:47 PM
  Balefulregards
  Participant
  715 posts
  She may not connect that the clothes have YOU under them.
  
  Coco did this recently…she was laying on my chest – and I was dutifully rubbing her nose….when she leaned over and nipped my nipple.
  Not to be terribly graphic, but I think she saw it under my shirt and thought “Huh. Wonder what that is- maybe food?” Chomp.
  Well, the scream I let out sent her FLYING off the bed and over into her maze to hide.
  
  She also nips when she wants MORE rubs – but gently to get my attention. Poppy may not realize what strong teeth she Has.
- 02/04/2009 at 9:18 AM
  luna
  Participant
  147 posts
  im pretty sure she bites to get attention. When she bites she usually sticks her nose in under my knee and stretches out to be stroked with her head to the ground. I will take all the advice on board and try the turning my back technique
  
  oh and Baleful that sounds so painful. What a naughty bunny… he he! Id say Coco wont be doing that again I will keep ye updated on how i get on over the next few weeks!
- 02/04/2009 at 3:11 PM
  BunnyBuns7
  Participant
  132 posts
  It is very likely that she wants the attention. Lily does that to me sometimes. Not as excessively, but she does it a little bite. She will pull on my clothes and dig in them. Sometimes however I think she’s just instinctly trying to dig a nest. What i’ve found Lily really enjoys is if I just put a big blanket on the floor. This has really stimulated her need to dig. She makes tunnels in it and chews on it. Since i’ve done this, she hasn’t dug at my clothes for dug in her littler box. Maybe this will help with her? Worth a try, eh? Or else I would say the same thing everyone else it too. Let me know how it goes.
- 02/05/2009 at 3:02 AM
  luna
  Participant
  147 posts
  Thanks bunnybuns,
  
  I will definitely try that….she goes in behind the couch everyday and spends about a half an hour burrowing so we bought a long runner mat so she doesnt destroy the carpet to put back there. She also pulls on the throw that hangs down the back so it cant do any harm having something on the middle of the floor. At least that way we can watch her. We have about 4 fleece blankets that have been shredded to pieces by her so i will use one of those. My boyfriend calls her the Shredder Beast! My poor little Poppy… if only you saw her when she was being good. She has that butter wouldnt melt look
- 02/05/2009 at 11:11 AM
  BunnyBuns7
  Participant
  132 posts
  very welcome,
  
  Lily doesn’t dig as much in the carpet anymore since she got her blanky. Fleece would be perfect. The bigger the pile, the more fun. Hee hee. Let me know how adorable she looks! 😀 Poor Poppy doomed to be called shredder. Just as long as she doesn’t start going after over-sized turtles with ninja skills… i think it should be alright. (wink).
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